It is with great sadness that we report that Colin Fender, owner of Premier Electrical and well-known for his involvement with various fundraising initiatives for charity, passed away on 6 June 2021.
Colin had suffered from liver cancer for a number of years, often keeping his illness hidden from those around him, and regretfully lost his battle with the illness earlier this month.
Born in Bury Port in Wales, Colin was a proud Welshman (at least when it came to rugby) but moved to Stevenage, Hertfordshire during his childhood and lived there until 2008 (giving him an excuse to support England when it came to football). During his time in Stevenage, Colin discovered two of his great passions: music and Arsenal Football Club. Colin was a great fan of rock music, and had a particular fondness for The Clash, David Bowie and Oasis. He also followed his beloved Arsenal through good and bad times, and regularly attended games at Highbury and, later, the Emirates Stadium.
During his time in Stevenage, Colin had two children, Michael and Rachel, both of whom continue to live in the UK and have inherited their father’s love of music and Arsenal.
In 2008, Colin moved to Cyprus with his partner Louise for a new life. Colin and Louise ran a tourist magazine, Pafos Uncovered, during their first few years on the island, and Colin loved touring around learning about and taking pictures of the beautiful area that they now lived in.
In November 2010, Colin and Louise opened The Outlet Store in Chlorakas, with the aim of providing at great prices a variety of items that seemed to be missing from the local market. Over time, the focus of the business shifted to electrical appliances. The Outlet Store was renamed Premier Electrical and expansion happened quickly over the next few years, with shops being opened in a number of different locations on the island. Currently, Premier Electrical has stores in both Chlorakas and Kolossi. Both stores are operated by an extremely hardworking group of staff, whom Colin considered close friends as well as colleagues.
Colin and Premier Electrical also became well-known for their support of The Friends Hospice, raising money through the MADVENT Advent campaign with Rock fm and then later through their involvement in adult pantos (Aladdin in 2014, Jack and the Beanstalk in 2015, Snow White in 2016 and Peter Pan in 2017). Colin put a huge amount of time and effort into making sure these were great fun to watch and raised a massive amount of money for The Friends Hospice. Colin certainly got to express a different side of himself and loved getting dressed up and going on stage to do the introduction… oh yes he did!
Colin loved to spend his spare time exploring the island, quad-biking around the Akamas, and eating and drinking with the many good friends he made during his time in Cyprus.
Colin has been repatriated to the UK for cremation, with the date for his service still to be confirmed. When travel restrictions allow, Michael and Rachel intend to bring his ashes back to Cyprus to rest here in the country that he loved.
Premier Electrical will continue to operate as normal, thanks to the hard work of Kylie and the rest of the staff.
Colin’s family would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in Colin’s life for everything they have done for him and for their ongoing support, which is greatly appreciated.
